Where We Belong
by Harligh Quinn
Summary: He was a selfish, arrogant, playboy with a taste for the wild side until he was left crippled by a serious injury. But it wasn't until he met one Elena Gilbert that he realized maybe there's more to life than what he thought he lost. AU / AH Delena.


Where We Belong  
**Summary: **He was a selfish, arrogant, playboy with a taste for the wild side until he is left crippled by a serious injury. But it's not until he meets one Elena Gilbert that he realizes maybe there's more to life than what he thought he lost. AU / AH Delena.  
**Rating: M**

* * *

"_I hope there are days where you fall in love with being alive.  
I hope a part of your heart stays there forever."_

**One**

He was aloof. He was always aloof.

Standing on the flanks of the Tower's grand ballroom, dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, surrounded by hundreds of guests while sipping champagne and listening to some top 40 band he didn't even know pay him tribute, _he_ knew his role very well. He was Damon Everett Salvatore after all; son of Giuseppe and Isabella Salvatore, _sole heir_ to Forbes' number one multinational multi-billion-dollar conglomeration. If you were to ask him about it, Damon might joke and say that he had "won the proverbial lottery;" however, despite being a trust fund baby graced with the physical attributes of a Calvin Klein underwear model, Damon generally exuded a rare type of confidence that had nothing to do with his looks or ability. Truth be told, most people who had the luck and opportunity to come into contact with Damon took away exactly two things: the first being a surprisingly crystal clear understanding of how unfair life truly is, and the second being a greater appreciation for the finer things in life.

For his part, Damon always did his best to ensure any pretense that anyone had of him was everything he lived up to be. Fortunately or unfortunately, (depending on whom you ask) most people saw Damon as an arrogant playboy with an affinity for danger simply because there was nothing Damon loved more than to walk on wild all, it was well known from an early age that if there was high risk of danger Damon was sure to be involved. Isabella Salvatore had always asserted that Damon inherited his wild heart from her beloved Papa who had been fearless WWII pilot from Macon, Georgia. Sure enough, Damon had wanted to enlist in the army — just like his grandpa Everett — as soon as he graduated from Browning Academy, but Isabella had swiftly and effectively ended that conversation with the simple, yet decisive declaration of "_over my dead body"_ right before handing him an application to Yale.

Needless to say, he went to Yale.

However, Damon compromised by settling for frequently taking sky diving trips as well as going rock climbing, extreme bungee jumping, deep sea scuba diving with sharks, and his personal favorite, street racing (the latter, albeit, without his mother knowing). The only thing that had ever managed to capture his interest outside of all that was the red head clad in the backless silk-black dress, currently making her way across the floor toward him with a predatory look in her eyes.

That redhead, better known as Katherine Marie Pierce, was a danger unlike anything Damon had ever experience before. English by birth, Katherine Marie Pierce – first born child of Philip and Anna Marie Pierce - was in fact a distant blood relative of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth the II and coincidentally 8th in line for the throne (a well known fact Anna Marie Pierce never let Katherine forget). Unfortunately, for Anna Marie, all attempts to raise her daughter as a prim and proper duchess of the court fell short as Katherine Marie was born to be wild and abjectly rejected authority of any kind. Beautiful as she appeared, everything about Katherine was decadent, spoiled, and downright wicked for the simple fact that Katherine knew very well how to play nice but simply preferred breaking all the rules. Still, one could hardly blame her - she was used to getting what she wanted _exactly _how she wanted it; but while she shared Damon's natural penchant for walking on the wild side, Katherine Marie's variety of thrill seeking tended to come with handcuffs and a _very_ expensive call to Daddy's lawyer.

(Although in her defense though, none of the charges had ever stuck, and more importantly, Damon loved her all the more for her wild heartedness.)

At their essence, Katherine and Damon were perfect for one another, and together, were the type of couple that was pure fodder for tabloids. Everything they exuded was untamed, reckless, and completely self-indulgent, so it came as no surprise that their very first date ended in the back of a police car or that their second date began - the very next day - in a hotel room. What did surprise many was their subsequent four year relationship and Damon's recent impromptu marriage proposal alongside Katherine's acceptance. Still, it stood to reason that they were as much in love as two people like them could ever be with anyone aside from themselves, and more importantly they understood one another.

Nothing was more important than that.

Smirking, Damon took a sip from his champagne glass as he admired the way Katherine's dress clung to every curve; judging by the glint in her eyes she noticed his appraisal and slowed her pace so he could fully appreciate her appearance. Coming to a stop before him, Katherine lifted a well-manicured hand to grab his champagne flute and take a sip, her large fourteen karat diamond engagement ring glinting under the lighting of the ballroom's chandelier as she did.

"See something you like?"

Staring down the low-cut décolletage of her dress, Damon nuzzled her neck and drew her in by the waist.

"Always."

Laughing, Katherine put the empty champagne flute on the bar next to them and gently pushed Damon away.

"Don't start what you can't finish, Salvatore."

Grasping her roughly by the waist, Damon pulled her back against him so she could feel the hard press of his cock against her hip.

"I'll show you exactly how I finish," Damon murmured, voice deep and full of intent like it always got when he was in the mood, lips brushing against her ear as he moved to nip at her earlobe.

Damon smiled victoriously when he saw the pretty fluttering of Katherine's eyes falling shut, along with the visible shiver that ran through her body as she leaned into his touch and allowed herself to be moved easily when Damon tipped her head back so that he could capture her lips.

This kiss, like most of their kisses, started off teasingly; as Damon gently nipped and sucked on her bottom lip while Katherine lightly ran her tongue over his top one and fisted her hand tightly in his hair. Groaning in response, Damon slid his hands possessively over Katherine's curves, not stopping until he reached her ass and gave it a firm squeeze through the silky fabric of her dress. Oblivious to anyone else in the room, the two carried on as if they were the only people in the room. Shivering again, Katherine was ready to give in and finally part her lips, when they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat loudly next to them. Breaking apart reluctantly, they turned to spy Damon's cousin and best friend, Stefan Salvatore smirking devilishly.

"Do I need to call the cops on you two, or would you prefer the paps? You're into that kinda stuff right, Katherine?"

Stefan asked, turning in Katherine's direction as he held his hands up in a camera motion and smiled knowingly. Momentarily, Katherine glared in annoyance at Stefan's antics, before turning away from him wrapping her arms around Damon and icily replying.

"What do you want Stefan? Can't you see we're busy."

Katherine tone alone, was enough to show there was no love lost between them. Still refusing to bow to his riling, Katherine added "Leave. You're not wanted or needed here." while nuzzling Damon. Ignoring her entirely, Stefan turned to address Damon jokingly."Can't a guy get a moment to wish his best friend a Happy Birthday? Happy 27th Birthday, by the way."

Chuckling softly, Damon softened his irritated stare and gently released Katherine to shake Stefan's hand, which Stefan quickly turned into an overzealous hug as Katherine looked on in distaste, silently fuming.

Katherine hated Stefan.

Though there was never a particular reason given as to why exactly Katherine so greatly loathed Stefan, (or that she ever needed a reason to hate anyone for that matter) but if Damon had to hazard a guess, it would be because sharing had never been one of Katherine's finer qualities. If Damon wasn't spending his free time with her, that meant he was with Stefan. On the flip side, Stefan had cited several reasons as to why he absolutely hated Katherine, the most paramount reason being that she was quote: "an absolute bitch." Suffice to say, Damon had long ago learned to ignore their not so friendly bantering, especially where Stefan was concerned; because, while he was generally a nice guy, and like a brother to him, Damon knew once you got on Stefan's bad side there was no coming back. Unfortunately, Katherine got on Stefan's bad side from the onset and the rest, as they say, is history.

Releasing Damon, Stefan stepped back and smiled sheepishly."I should add that I didn't want to leave without giving you my birthday present."

Eyebrows furling, Damon couldn't help but look at his watch to note the time. "You're leaving already? It's barely midnight."

"No, my night just started, but judging by the show you were just putting on, I can tell that you two will be."

That retort earned an eye roll from Katherine and a slight blush from Damon. The fact that Damon still had the capacity to blush was just one of his well-known idiosyncrasies that made him so captivating because it was well known that Damon was far from a virgin.

Shaking it off, Damon looked toward the gift table hoping to get past the childish taunting that Damon knew for a fact that Stefan never got tired of.

"Thanks...so where is it?"

Picking up a fresh champagne flute from a passing waiter, Stefan shook his head. "Oh, it's not in here."

"It's not?" Damon's reply was less curious than caustic, mostly because he also knew that Stefan was nothing short of a classic prankster.

"Nope." Lifting his glass sheepishly to his mouth, Stefan tried to cover his smile at Damon's apparent unease, knowing all types of fiendish scenarios were running through his best friend's head. He took another sip to savor the moment before putting his glass down on the bar and fishing something out of his front jacket pocket to casually drop it into Damon's hand. It took Damon all of half a second to realize what it was before responding.

"_Where?"_

Katherine looked on in mild confusion as Stefan smiled and picked up his champagne glass again, taking a long sip and winking at her before answering.

"Out front, valet."

Stefan barely had a moment to get the words out before Damon was racing across the room to the doors with a protesting Katherine in tow while Stefan followed close behind. They didn't stop until they made it to the cascading flight of stairs that overlooked the valet stand and the baby blue 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible parked next to it. Bringing his fist up to his mouth Damon bit it hard, in an attempt not to cry because that _fucking_ car had been everything he ever dreamed of owning since he was a little boy.

To say that this was the best present he ever received would be an understatement. He used to build model versions of this car with his father and Stefan and always dreamed of owning a life sized version, but with a limited number of cars still in existence, every time he went to purchase one, it would be snapped up before he could. He always thought he would be an old man before he'd ever get his hands on one. Turning to look at Stefan, he tried to think of words to tell him just how thankful he was.

Everything he thought to say came up short.

Laughing, Stefan just patted him on his shoulder and saved him the trouble. "It's okay. _You're welcome_. Now go try it out before you blow your wad."

Absently nodding his head, Damon turned to go, but was stopped by Katherine stepping in front of him, an irritated look on her face.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Rolling his eyes, Stefan answered before Damon could. "Come on Katherine, it's the man's birthday, let him _live_ a little."

Spying Damon's hopeful pout, Katherine relented, albeit grudgingly.

"Twenty minutes. That's it, Salvatore. Any longer and you're gonna miss out on _my present_."

Snorting, Stefan couldn't stop himself before murmuring, "I doubt he'll be missing out on anything he, or anyone else for that matter, hasn't had before."

Rather than be riled up by Stefan's running commentary, Katherine just smiled prettily, eyes glinting as she turned to Damon."Oh, I'm pretty sure my _virginal_ friend, Giselle, might have something different to say about that."

Leaning in to whisper in Damon's ear, Katherine added, "The two of us will be waiting for you back at our condo. Don't keep us waiting too long, or else we'll have to start the real party without you," just loud enough for Stefan to hear. Then stepping forward, Katherine kissed Damon soundly, not needing to see Stefan's irritated expression to know it was there. Satisfied with herself, Katherine happily deepened the kiss as she let her hand trail down to the front of Damon's slacks to make sure he was responding just the way he needed to. When she felt him take that instinctive step closer, she teasingly backed away and smiled at his heated expression.

"Twenty minutes starts now. Tick, tock."

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Damon cast one last heated look in Katherine's direction before taking off down the stairs toward his car. Not missing Katherine's last dig of "$1000 says he enjoys my ride better than yours", nor Stefan's quick witted reply of, "$1000 a night, is that all you go for these days? No wonder you need to bring in new talent."

Determined to enjoy his birthday, Damon kept going until he reached his new prize possession. Taking a moment to savor the beauty of the exterior, Damon ran both hands along the front exterior before climbing inside. Once inside, he couldn't help but inhale the perfect scent of well-worn leather and (relatively) new car smell. It was perfect and all-encompassing and Damon was slightly embarrassed to note his hard-on still hadn't subsided even despite the lack of stimulation. Still he pressed on, sticking the key into the ignition for the first time; he almost came in his pants when he heard the engine roar to life.

It was better than a wet dream.

Adjusting his seat and the mirrors, Damon was just about to pull out before he remembered the stereo. Flipping it on, Damon heard the familiar chords of Jimi Hendrix's, '_All Along the Watchtower'_ queued on the speakers. Smirking at the absolute craftiness of his best friend, Damon revved the engine once before speeding off along darkened New York City streets. Accelerating quickly he weaved in and out of traffic at 65 miles per hour and climbing. Clutching the gear shift, he paid no attention to the angry drivers blowing their horns and throwing up their fists behind him.

It was just him, the road, and his car.

Soon, city streets morphed into expressways, followed by suburban roads; in less than ten minutes he had made it from lower Manhattan to the Bronx to Westchester and he was less than five minutes away from his and Katherine's White Plains condo when he decided to take a detour along the Saw Mill River Parkway so he could really test out the engine. Shifting into sixth gear and flooring the accelerator, Damon bit his lip in obvious excitement as he saw that he'd reached 125 miles per hour and Aerosmith's '_Dream On'_ filtered in through the speakers.

With his adrenaline pumping in time with the music he was lost in the perfection of the moment, he barely contained his giddiness as he drove at inhumanly high speeds along narrow and winding roads; taking in the beautiful view of dazzling city lights hidden between tall evergreens and deep valleys on his right, and the mighty Hudson River on his left. In this moment, it seemed as if all of nature was at once his and his alone to experience; all blurring together into one glorious cacophony of sight and sound, made just for him.

It was astounding, and mesmerizing and all going by too quickly.

Which is probably the reason why he didn't spot the doe off to the side of the road until she was jumping out in front of his vehicle. With his heart thundering in his chest and barely a second to react, Damon instinctively swerved to avoid the doe; somehow, miraculously, managed to narrowly hitting her, before righting his vehicle. Shakily breathing a sigh of relief, Damon slowed his vehicle down to a more reasonable 75 miles per hour and chuckled to himself, imagining the look on Katherine's face if he had actually died before she could one up Stefan. He was so distracted by his near-death experience he failed to see the 'Sharp Turn Ahead' road sign. Unfortunately, by the time he realized his mistake this time around he was eyeing the edge of a steep embankment overlooking a large ravine.

Not that he would have been able to stop in time, regardless.

Oddly, as the car hit the embankment and went airborne over the ravine Damon came to two startling and distinct realizations: the first - and most perfunctory - being that his death was inescapably and assuredly imminent and the second - and more profound - being, the complete and total irony of the situation.

Not because he had just recently escaped his death once tonight only to face it again so soon, or because it was his birthday, and now, consequently (or inconsequentially, depending on whom you ask) his death date, but simply because anyone who knew him knew he always said he'd kill to own this car, this thing he loved more than life itself; but never in a million years did he ever think _he'd_ be the one who'd have to die for it.

It was poetic, and daring and just so… Damon.

He really couldn't help but laugh even as he was ejected from the front windshield and his entire world went dark.


End file.
